Bloom to Perish
by CJS-DEPPendent
Summary: A serial killer goes on a rampage and the cases start affecting two of the CSI's more than ever. Will they catch this monster in time to save their loved ones? GSR, WC, NickOC, GregOC. A sequel to Quarantined. Please Read and Review. Enjoy!
1. Hard Cases

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own anything other than the mistakes and story line.

_**Parings: **_Nick/Other Character, GSR, Catherine/Warrick, Greg/Other Character

_**AN:**_ This is a sequel to my first CSI fanfic: Quarantined. I suggest you read that one first though you can follow this story quit easily without it.

**BLOOM TO PERISH**

In the Shadows of Las Vegas, a happy couple strolled chatting lightly about their first child's impending birth. As the two stopped, his hand on her extended belly feeling his son's kicks, a figure approached from behind; neither noticed. Their eyes closed as they stood together, wrapped in each other's arms beneath the moon-lit sky. As the obviously feminine figure draped in black approached, time began to run out.

The man's efforts weren't enough to stop the scintillating blade from piercing through his wife's abdomen. Powerless, he stood and watched as his life and future shattered before his eyes.

Without a single word, the attacker ran off into the night leaving nothing but hurt and death hovering in the air.

* * *

The first CSI's on the scene were the supervisor Gil Grissom and the soon to be married, Nick Stokes. Like they'd done in the previous scenes, they processed evidence in silence; both being affected tremendously these particular cases.

"Same as the others" Grissom spoke grimly as he packed the evidence he'd collected.

This was the 6th attack of the sort in the Las Vegas area that week. In all cases, the victim was a pregnant woman expecting her first child; ages ranged from 17 to 37. So far, four of the victims had died, the other two had been severally injured; not one of the foetuses had survived. 'Foetus'. That was the term Grissom had elected to describe the infants. With his own child only seven months away, the term 'baby' made it impossible for him to distance himself emotionally from the cases.

Also awaiting his first child, Nick wasn't taking the cases any better. Every time the father had to be interviewed, Nick made some excuse not to be the one to do it; Grissom couldn't blame him. The thought of being in those men's shoes was deeply terrifying.

In each case, Grissom had been the one to deal with the Father:

Case 1: The victim, Kathleen Rhys was a 23 year old Caucasian female, eight months pregnant. Murdered in the drive way of the house she shared with her husband Joe. Though it was a hard interview, it was the first and Grissom had been able to deal with the man's frustration and despair.

Case 2: Vicky Gore, a 31 year old African-American waitress. Murdered outside the dinner she worked in. The father, Sam Gore had been the soul witness and during the interview had broken down in incontrollable sobs.

Case 3: Jennifer Dunn, a 4 month pregnant 17 years old, Caucasian, murdered outside her school with all her friends and boyfriend as witnesses. The interview with the boyfriend, Cody had been one of the hardest for Grissom. It was after seeing the young man grieving his girlfriend and child that Grissom had decided he had to do everything possible to stop the cases get to him.

Case 4: Laura Hews, 37 years old, 6 months pregnant found by her husband still alive in the driveway at night. In this case, Grissom had to deal with the father, Kyle and the mother both of which were inconsolable.

Case 5: Fay Jenkins, a 28 year old African-American female, 7 months pregnant was now in critical case in the Desert Palms' ICU. The foetus had died and the father, Jon had taken his rage out on the interrogation room.

Case 6: Was the case he was working now. As far as Grissom could tell, Todd and Patricia Hewitt had been surprised by the killer during a night stroll around their neighbourhood. Patricia had died within seconds along with their son. The father, Todd was giving his statement to a policeman as the CSI's investigated the scene.

Suddenly, Nick's voice brought Grissom back to reality, "What's this supposed to mean?" He asked picking up an ultra-sound image "There were others like this at the other scenes."

Grissom barely looked up before stating, "COD is obvious…" He inspected the area from which blood was still oozing on the vic's abdomen "Stab to the abdomen, she bled out in seconds." He stood up, looked down at the body and sighed heavily.

"You know, I'd really like to have 5 minutes alone with the guy who did this…" Said Nick, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I know it's hard, Nicky. But you have to keep your head clear. No emotions." Grissom heard his own words and realised they were relevant to both of them.

Nick limited himself to nod, his thoughts lost in what he'd like to do to the perp "That the father?" he asked looking towards Todd Hewitt.

Grissom nodded "Yea, I'm going to go talk to him…"

Nick cut him off "No…I'll go."

Before Grissom could ask what had changed his mind, Nick was half way to the police car.

* * *

When he got home, Nick went straight into the bedroom where he knew Lauren would be asleep. If everything had gone as planned, Nick and Lauren would have gotten married over a month ago. But there had been complications with Lauren's pregnancy, and she'd been put on bed rest forcing the wedding to be postponed for two months.

With only a day to go, Nick was feeling more and more nervous almost like the gnawing feeling in his gut was foreshadowing something bad.

On entering his room though, all the worries vanished. His fiancé was sitting on their bed beaming at him from behind her ever-growing belly. He kissed her and the happiness inside her invaded every bit of him.

Lauren felt like nothing could go wrong. She was getting married to the perfect man, she was two months away from becoming a mother and her wedding was all set to go. She'd managed to get both her parents to attend the wedding; she hadn't seen them in the same room since the day her father had left home when she was 12. Her younger brother was flying in from New York and the best surprise of all, her sister, Allyson with whom she hadn't spoken for 9 years had RSVPd.

* * *

For the fifth time that week, Grissom had let Nick go home early. He knew the cases were affecting him enormously and that the more time he got to spend with his wife-to-be, the better he'd feel. At least, that's how it worked for him. Whenever he wasn't with Sara, he felt worried, he called her several times a day and made sure she was never completely alone; he only felt relaxed when she was in his arms.

Though when he'd suggested that she stay away from the field Sara had been annoyed, she was now grateful. She saw enough of the serial-killer's work in the lab and as her body adapted to the baby and her attachment to it grew, she began to appreciate Grissom's concern for her and their child.

"How's the evidence coming along?" He asked entering the lab with the new evidence he and Nick had collected.

"It's boring and…" She handed him the DNA report "…inconclusive. I ran it through CODIS. No match."

Grissom looked at the sheet and saw something that disturbed him, "XX?"

"Yea I know…" Said Sara looking as disturbed as he felt "…I can't believe a woman would do this." She sounded upset as she put her hand on her stomach.

Grissom saw this and after looking around to ensure they were alone, kissed her lightly on the lips, a hand over hers as they felt their child move.

"So…" He said after pulling back "…our perp is a woman with no record…"

She nodded "Seems so…"

He handed her the image they'd found at the scene.

"Can you compare this to the other five?" He said as she examined it.

"Yea sure, looks the same. I'll run it through th computer and dust for prints." She said as she scanned the image whilst opening her print kit.

"The others had nothing on them…so don't get your hopes up." Said Grissom as he turned to leave "I'll be in my office when you're done."

Sara watched as Grissom walked away. Once she'd printed the ultrasound and found the first print of the case, she put it on a pile to be analysed later and decided it was time to go home and be pampered by Grissom.


	2. Names and Brides

They'd only been home 30 minutes and were already sitting on the couch

They'd only been home 30 minutes and were already sitting on the couch. Sara was lying with her head on his lap as he played with her hair. This was something they did every night. Sara knew it helped Grissom unwind from the frustrating cases he worked, and it made her feel happy being so close to him.

They'd been together for five months. She'd been pregnant for four and a half. Everything had happened so fast she kept thinking it would all turn out to be in her head.

"You want some dinner?" He asked breaking the silence. This was something else he'd began doing. Every night, he insisted that Sara do absolutely nothing. He cooked, cleaned and took care of anything Sara would normally do. If she didn't find it so sweet, she would have felt suffocated.

"Sure…what's on the menu tonight?" She asked sitting up so he could get up.

"I was thinking vegetarian lasagne." He said waiting for her to speak.

"You sure you can last much longer without meat?" She asked smiling at him. As far as she knew, the last time Grissom had had some meat had been three weeks ago since he'd been looking out for her vegetarian needs.

"…I'll grab a burger for lunch tomorrow" he said grinning as he began to get the ingredients.

Several minutes into cooking, the phone rang and Sara answered it.

"Yea?" She asked listening "Oh, hey Cath. Yea…he's here." She said holding the phone out so Grissom could take it.

Catherine was the only CSI to know about them and only because she'd been Sara's room mate during the quarantine. Though she knew they were together, she didn't know they lived together, and she most certainly didn't know that Sara was pregnant. That was something they wanted to keep to themselves. Though, Sara had to admit their friends had to be blind. Even with the baggy clothes she'd taken to wearing, she was pretty sure it was starting to show. But, then again, it was what Grissom had said, why would they even think of it? At work, they treated each other like they always had and only when Catherine was around did they feel like their secret wasn't completely hidden.

Sara looked at Grissom as he put down the phone.

"What was that about?" She asked as he smiled walking back to the kitchen.

"She was asking how we're getting to the wedding tomorrow." He said opening the oven.

Sara smiled at him as he walked back towards the couch.

"We've got 30 minutes until it's ready, scoot over." He said approaching the couch.

She smiled and obliged. Once he'd sat down on one end, she curled up against him, her head on his shoulder, and arm around his waist.

"So…" He said looking down at her as he played with her hair again "Names…"

They smiled at each other and then they both looked at Sara's belly

"I dunno…" She said smiling.

"Okay, let's start." He said taking a notepad and pen from the table on his right "Girls names then…"

She sat up a little straighter and looked at the blank page. "Well… Catherine, Karen, Summer, Megan…"

He cut her off "Whoa, Whoa… hold on…slow…" He said trying to right all the names down "Alright, my picks…Catherine, Megan, Summer are all good, I also like: Laura and Elizabeth." He said adding them to the list.

"Okay, so put a star next to the three we both like and next to Elizabeth, I like that one too."

He did as she said and then began a new column for boy's names "Go…" He said getting ready to right.

"Alright…Aaron, Greg, Derek, Scott and Eric" He wrote each down as she said it. "You? She asked when he was done."

"I like Aaron and Derek, I also like William and Jayden." He wrote them down "Which do we star?" He asked getting ready to do it.

"Aaron, Jayden and Derek." She said.

Once he'd written all the stared names down on a separate sheet, she read it out loud "Catherine, Megan, Summer, Aaron, Jayden and Derek." She said then added "We have to narrow it down some more.

He nodded and began "I'd exclude Summer and Derek. That leaves four." He said crossing out the two he'd said.

"I think if we called our daughter Catherine Cath would get _way_ too full of herself." Sara said smiling "That leaves one girl's name." she added as Grissom underlined 'Megan'.

"Now…Aaron or Jayden?" He asked

They stared at the sheet for a few seconds trying to decide.

"I like them both…" She said looking at the paper.

He nodded and then looked at her "You know…we still have four months to decide…" She agreed and soon the notepad was back on the coffee table and they were kissing passionately. She was leaning on the side rest of the couch as he kissed her neck and lips, one hand behind her head, the other around her waist.

* * *

There were less than eight hours to go until the Wedding. In his apartment, Nick was sitting up in bed as Lauren slept peacefully beside him. He'd tried to sleep, but twisting and turning in the sheets he couldn't help the unsettling feeling that had lodged in his gut refusing to budge.

Deciding it was nothing but nerves, he lay back down, closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come. Two hours later, it did.

* * *

She stood in front of her mirror in the dress she'd picked out two months earlier. Examining her figure, she noticed, slightly to her horror that she was no longer thin. Sara Sidle was obviously pregnant. He entered the room tying his tie. Sara smiled at Grissom as his mouth hung open at the sight of her. The navy blue strapless dress she was wearing was stunning. Looking at her long, lean legs, he couldn't help but wish that she'd use skirts more often.

"Can you tell?" She asked obviously concerned as she examined her profile.

With a grin on his face, Grissom approached and kissed her before replying "Honestly, Sara. I don't care if they can."

She smiled and let him kiss her again before the two walked out hand in hand.

* * *

The room was beautifully decorated. Since neither Nick nor Lauren were religious, they'd gotten married at the town hall early that morning with only his best man and her maid of honour as witnesses. However, Lauren, like all women, had always dreamed of her wedding day and of the large party she'd have. So, like a good husband, Nick had rented a room at the Monte Carlo and was now waiting for his wife to join them.

Because of her ever-growing figure, Lauren had wanted to change out of her wedding dress which she'd stated made her look like a whale.

"Well, how does it feel?" Asked Warrick patting his friend on the back.

Nick just smiled as he greeted four people who'd just arrived.

"Congratulations…" Said the eldest man shaking Nick's hand, "I'm Samuel Weston, Lauren's father. This is my ex-wife Sharon, Our son Kyle and daughter Allyson."

Nick greeted each in turn, "so glad you could come…"

"So are we…" Answered a distracted Allyson as she looked around the room "Where's my sister?"

Nick smiled and pointed towards the door on his right "She's changing but I'm sure she'd be glad to see you. Right through there."

At the other end of the room, Warrick had just re-joined Catherine, Grissom, Sara, Greg and Dr. Samantha (Sammy) Walker; Greg's date.

"Our Nicky is a married man!" He said putting an arm around Catherine's waist and smiling at her.

All the CSI's smiled as they looked across the room at Nick who was walking towards them. As he approached, Catherine called a waiter to them and started distributing Champaign glasses. Everyone took one and when Nick stopped next to them, held their glasses up and drank to the groom.

Minutes later, everyone but Sara had finished their glass and was deep in conversation. Catherine seemed to be the only one to notice Sara's untouched glass and the looks she exchanged with Grissom. If she was right, she'd just figured out why the recent murder cases were affecting Grissom more than any case ever had.

A while went by before Nick started looking towards the door to the room where Lauren was.

"Think she's having second thoughts?" Joked Warrick as Nick glanced over again.

"She's been in there so long…will one of you go check on her?" He asked looking at Catherine and Sara.

As she saw Catherine look at her drink and then at her stomach again for the thousandth time in the past five minutes, Sara took this chance to escape and went to check on the bride as Nick looked on anxiously.


	3. Sisters and crimes

Lauren had been ready for almost fifteen minutes. However, a strong pain in her abdomen had forced her to lie down.

Five minutes after lying down, she'd heard the door open, close and the key turn. Figuring it was only Nick she didn't move.

Allyson had been thought of this moment every spare minute for the past month. When she'd agreed to accompany her mother to the wedding, it hadn't been to celebrate; it had been to get her long awaited revenge.

Her plan was simple, and as far as she could tell, fool proof. She'd grab Lauren, take her away and make her suffer as much as she had.

Seeing her sister approach, Lauren felt all the apologies and regrets she'd never spoken come to the surface.

"Allyson…I…" She began but was cut off by an experience she'd never had and didn't want to have again; she found herself staring at the barrel of a 9 mm hand gun.

"Ally…what are you doing?!" though she tried to keep self control, she knew her voice was shaky.

"I'm going to get my revenge. I'm going to make you suffer like I did." There was a knock on the door, and Allyson cocked the gun. Then, looking her sister in the eyes, she motioned with it for her to stand next to the closet.

Hiding her gun, Allyson strode to the door and opened it.

Standing there, was a woman she'd seen earlier and that she'd figured she'd get to later; the only other mother-to-be at the party: Sara Sidle.

"Um…" Sara said looking at the woman before her "is Lauren here?"

Allyson though of sending her away, but why not kill two birds with one stone? She'd make a new victim and make her sister see the consequences her actions had had.

"Yea…she's inside." Allyson said opening the door wider and grabbing the gun with the hand Sara couldn't see.

Once inside, Sara could tell something was wrong. Lauren was standing between the wall and the closet, silent tears streaming from her eyes.

The sound of a gun cocking made her turn and see Alyson aiming at her middle. Sara's instincts kicked in. She couldn't let anything happen to the baby.

"You're not going to shoot us." She was surprised by how calm and determined she sounded.

Allyson looked mockingly at her "Oh! And why's that?"

"Because, there are people out there that would come looking for us." Again her voice sounded nothing like what she felt.

Allyson seemed to process this for a moment before placing a hand on the key in the door, ready to lock it.

"Get up!" She ordered to her sister who'd just sat down on the floor breathing heavily between sobs. "We're getting out the window." She added as she twirled the gun in her hands.

Unfortunately, Sara had just tried to make a run for the door before it was locked. This attempt earned her a bullet in the foot. The pain surged through her body causing her to collapse backwards onto a coffee table which shattered into a million wooden fragments

Allyson swore out loud for having drawn attention to herself. She'd have to rush things now that a gun shot had been fired. She knew that if she wanted to follow through with her plans, she'd have to do it some place else, besides, she could already hear people rushing around outside. _Common response to gun fire_ thought Sara as she was 'encouraged' out of the window at gun point, her foot throbbing and her back aching from where she'd hit the small coffee table.

Once outside, both Lauren and Sara were forced into a car and could do nothing but watch the hotel disappear in the distance.

* * *

Nick who'd already been anxious nearly collapsed when he heard a gun shot. Grissom had a similar reaction, only the years of self-control helped him mask it well.

In the confusion and panic, the CSI's managed to make their way through the fleeing mob to the room where Lauren and Sara were.

Nick was the first to try and open the door but it was locked. For the first few seconds, they could here movement inside but soon there was nothing. When their shouts and knocks proved useless, Nick and Warrick along with some of the hotel's security guards broke down the door and walked in.

* * *

There was little doubt they'd just stumbled into a crime scene. Not only were there three missing women, there was also a shattered coffee table, a small pool of blood, some bloody foot prints, an open window and a bullet lodged on the floor.

Both Grissom and Nick sprang for the window at the noise of a motor. All they could see was the back of a jeep pulling out of the parking lot.

"What happened here?" Asked Catherine as she examined the scene. Noticing Grissom and Nick's pained faces she added "It'll be alright guys…"

Trying to ignore the worry building up inside him, Grissom decided to take charge. If he was going to get Sara back, they had to process the scene soon.

"Guys!" All the CSI's sopped to look at their supervisor, "we have to start processing. So, Warrick, go to the labs and bring us our kits, Catherine, come with me to find some supplies for now. Greg go with that guard and pull up all the surveillance videos for the past two hours." He got ready to go with Catherine when Nick's voice stopped him.

"Grissom, I wanna help…" The determination in his voice was a surprise to Grissom considering his pained expression but he nodded knowing that, like him, Nick wouldn't be able to not do something.

"If you're sure, go help Warrick." He replied as he exited the room.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Grissom and Catherine were back in the room looking for new evidence. Unfortunately, they didn't find anything indicative of a perp.

When despair had finally set in, Grissom had tried to call Sara's cell only to find it was still in her purse.


	4. Missing

She wasn't quite sure where she was, but judging by the length of the drive, Sara figured they were nowhere near the hotel.

Her foot was still aching, though she'd managed to stop the bleeding by tying a cloth to it.

The room they were now in was small. It reminded Sara of the dorm room she'd lived in during college. There were some semi-transparent drapes on the windows and all the furniture was cheap and dirty.

"Ally…why?" Asked Lauren and Sara noticed her pain seemed to have escalated.

"Don't 'Ally' me!" Allyson replied bitterly as she looked through the curtains. "You know perfectly well _why_. It's your own fault. Yours and Carl's!"

"Carl?! Allyson, that was 9 years ago!"

Allyson didn't seem to care "You caused my depression, you cost me the past nine years and you're responsible for my baby's death."

Lauren knew that to some extent this was true. Looking back, she couldn't help regretting her actions. She'd been 17 at the time and Carl 23. Her sister, 21, and he were to be married, but at the rehearsal dinner, Champaign, margaritas and other sneaked-in drinks had lead to Lauren and Carl being found together in the linen closet; by Allyson. Devastated, Allyson had fallen into a terrible depression that ultimately led to the loss of her unborn child and her commitment to a psychiatric clinic.

"The doctor thought I was cured! He let me go home. But, as you're about to find out, you _never_ get over loosing a child." There were angry tears in her eyes now "when that letter arrived, you told us you were pregnant and, like nothing had ever happened, invited me to come along to celebrate it. No therapy could cave stopped me seeking revenge!"

Lauren's pain had spiked with the tension of the situation and she was clutching her stomach as tears continued to flow down her cheeks smudging her flawless makeup.

Allyson either didn't notice or didn't care. She merely reached into a drawer and pulled out an ultra sound which she threw at her sister.

Lauren simply brushed it to the floor, tears dripping off her chin.

Sara, who'd been sitting on the floor picked up the fallen image and examined it.

"That would have been your nephew." Allyson spoke slowly as she held Lauren's head, forcing her to look at the picture.

Sara recognized the image immediately, she'd processed six identical ones in the last week. A finding that would normally have solved a case and made her happy was now making her fear for her life. This woman had mercilessly taken the lives of 10 innocent people and had made it perfectly clear that four more were on their way. Did any one know here they were? Would they be able to get to them in time? Her thoughts were racing but the one that hit her hardest was the idea that she might never see Grissom holding their child.

* * *

Having processed everything they could without their kits, Grissom and Catherine sat down at their table waiting for Nick and Warrick to return.

"She'll be fine, Gil…" Catherine tried to reassure him as he stared at Sara's full glass of champagne.

"It took me so long to admit how I felt about her…too long. Now she's gone…" His voice was shaking at Catherine didn't know what to do to make him feel better.

"Gil, she'll fight her way back, you know she will."

Again he didn't seem reassured "No she won't, Catherine. Sara's almost five months pregnant. She won't risk it. We have to find her." His voice was shaking more and he sounded desperate.

"It'll be fine, Griss. Pregnant, huh?" She smiled as Grissom took a sip of the champagne "You? A father? Don't take this the wrong way, but I never pictured you as the daddy type."

He smiled "To tell you the truth, neither did I. But now, I was actually looking forwards to it."

He knew he was coming off very pessimistic as he used the past tense. But the criminalists in him told him to prepare himself for the worse.

"Don't talk like that, Gil." She would have continued comforting him if Warrick and Nick hadn't just walked in.

* * *

Sara knew they hadn't been there for long, but it felt like they had. Allyson had said she wouldn't kill Lauren. She would wait for Nick, "the perfect CSI" as she'd called him, to turn up. She'd then kill him and then her child leaving Lauren with nothing like Lauren had left her. As for Sara, Allyson had decided to wait. She was going to do it, no doubt there, but she thought that to really make Lauren suffer, all the deaths should happen at the same time to make her feel as guilty as Allyson had felt depressed. After all, if Lauren hadn't done what she did to Allyson, Sara would still be safe.

Right then, Allyson was in a different room. She'd locked Sara and Lauren in the small bedroom and was now sitting in the living area waiting for Nick.

"Are you alright?" asked Sara as Lauren clasped her stomach in pain.

"No…"Breathed Lauren as tears tumbled down her cheeks "I…I need to get to the hospital."

Sara tried to comfort her. However, all Lauren could do was cry. Allyson was right. All the murders Nick had been working on were her fault. Sara was going to die and it was her fault. Nothing anyone could tell her could ease the guilt.

* * *

After processing every inch of the room, the CSI's had taken the evidence back to the lab and got on with analyzing it.

Greg was in the lab analyzing the blood samples. Catherine and Warrick were looking at the surveillance, Grissom was with Nick in the other lab trying to find a match for the prints they'd gotten off the window.

When they finally got a match, disappointment took over hope. There was no perp. The prints from the window had matched Allyson Watson's. They'd known all along she'd been in the room, so finding her prints wasn't a significant finding. What _was_ a significant finding was the fact that Allyson had a record. Nick knew Lauren didn't enjoy talking about her family, but a sister with a record fro violent behaviour was something he'd expected to know about.

"Well, I guess…that gives us a suspect" Grissom said as he printed the sheet.

Nick nodded "but why would Allyson kidnap Lauren? And _Sara_?" He took the sheet from grissom and looked puzzled at it.

"I've no idea, Nick. But we could ask her parents, maybe they'll know something." Grissom said raising his eyebrows as Nick picked up the phone.

Minutes later, Catherine informed them that the surveillance tapes showed Allyson driving the get away car and all doubt that Allyson was the perp vanished.

Once Lauren's parents arrived, Grissom and Nick began questioning them.


	5. Background and Secrets

"My Allyson?" Lauren's father sounded genuinely confused as Nick explained the evidence to him.

"Mr. Weston, we found that your daughter was arrested in 98 for violent behaviour. Can you explain that?" asked Grissom as he handed the man his daughter's record.

It was Lauren's mother who, after a sigh, answered "She was going through a tough time. She'd gotten pregnant and the SOB asked her to marry him…"

Here, Mr. Weston took over "We'd always thought he was worthless, but Allyson loved him and he made her happy. Until…"

"At the rehearsal dinner, Allyson walked in on Carl and Lauren in the linen closet."

"We, of course were happy she was leaving him. She, however fell into a dreadful depression and had a miscarriage. That's when she became violent. She attacked a pregnant woman in the streets and we had committed to a psychiatric clinic." Concluded Mr. Weston taking a sip of water.

"So this is revenge?" Asked Nick looking from his in-laws to Grissom who was lost in though.

All of a sudden, it hit him. _It's Allyson_ he thought and without a word, stood up and rushed to the lab to get one of the ultrasound images.

When he got back, he had already confirmed his fears. He'd taken the time to check that the print Sara had collected from the ultrasound was a match to the ones on the window, and therefore a match to Allyson Weston.

Opening the door, Grissom called Nick to join him in the hall way. "Nick…" He said handing him the prints of what he'd found "…It's Allyson. She's the…"

"The serial Killer…" Said Nick nodding as he read the sheet "…we have to find them Grissom. I can't handle being in those father's places." He sounded desperate and Grissom had to sympathise.

Nodding Grissom replied "I know Nick. We have to save them." Suddenly they were joined by Catherine "…Nick, go inside, try to find anything helpful from the parents. When you have something, I'll be in my office." Without another word, he walked into his office and closed the door behind him.

Once the supervisor was gone, Catherine turned back to Nick expecting him to be going into the interrogation room as Grissom had instructed. Instead, she found him lost somewhere in his mind.

"Nick…" He looked up at her "You going in?" She asked as he continued to look lost.

"I don't get it…" He said, now looking at her "Why Sara?"

Catherine sighed "Nick…" She said looking around to check if they were alone "don't go spreading this round…but, Sara's pregnant."

Nick spun so that he was now facing her completely.

"She's what?!" He was sure he hadn't heard properly.

Catherine sighed again and nodded, "Almost five months…"

"But…I didn't even know she was seeing someone…well, I guess now it make sense…the baggy shirts…mood swings…how did I miss it?"

"We all did, Nick." Catherine said with another sigh "And no one knew she was seeing someone."

Nick's face turned from confused to curious and he tilted his head slightly looking at Catherine "who?"

She looked around again to check if they were still alone then nodded towards Grissom's office.

Nick couldn't believe it "Grissom?!"

"Sh, Nick! Yes. Now, go do what you were told so we can save yours and Grissom's family." Without another word, Catherine walked into the lab where Warrick was processing evidence and seconds later, Nick went into the interrogation room.

* * *

Resting for the first time since Sara had gone missing, Grissom felt all the worries he'd been holding back flood his mind. He felt lost without her. He missed knowing she was only a phone call away. He felt guilty about not telling her how happy he was about the baby. He felt she knew, but he'd never said it and now he couldn't help thinking it might be too late.

It was about 15 minutes later that Nick walked into the office as he'd been told to.

"So?" asked Grissom as he sat up in his chair.

Nick sat down on the one opposite him "Well, the parents say Allyson and Carl were going to but an apartment in Vegas. They can't think of anywhere else she'd have taken them. They only remember three addresses. Two in Henderson, the other in the center."

Grissom barely had time to nod before Catherine walked in holding her cell phone.

"I had a hunch…" She held up her cell phone "Allyson's phone is on. We can trace the call." She smiled as the two men sprang out of their seats and practically ran into the lab. Second's later, she joined them.

* * *

Sara was feeling sacred now. _Damn Hormones_ she thought as she held back tears.

Lauren was lying on the sheet-less bed in pain. She knew if she didn't get to the hospital soon, she0d die. The doctor had told her as much two months earlier.

As she sat ready to give in to crying, Sara heard a noise. She wasn't quite sure what it was but it was coming from the bag Allyson had left behind. Standing up, she limped over as Lauren watched. Reaching in the bag, she felt something vibrate against her fingers and pulled it out; a cell phone.

"Looks like she didn't think of everything." Whispered Sara as she checked the caller ID.

* * *

Grissom had been put in charge of the calls while Nick and Catherine traced the call. Warrick joined them reading the DNA report Greg had made of the blood at the scene. The knowledge that the blood was Sara's made each ring compress the team's hearts.

It was only on the fifth ring that someone answered. Signalling with his free hand for Catherine to start tracing the call, Grissom spoke "Allyson?"

* * *

Sara had recognized the number as a CSI. With her heart pounding in her chest, she answered it praying that the voice on the other line would be Grissom's; it was.

"Griss?" She didn her best to keep her voice down knowing that if Allyson didn't know what she was doing, she could keep the line on long enough for her friends to trace the call.

* * *

_She's alive_ he thought, smiling at her voice.

"Sara, honey, are you alright?" Grissom noticed both shock and relief on his team mates faces.

* * *

"I'm fine, Griss…oh, the blood…small injury on my foot…Listen. Lauren needs help. She's not well." As she said this, she looked towards Lauren who was in tears on the bed.

* * *

"Ok, Sara. Do you know where you are?" He asked as he looked at the map on the screen.

* * *

The truth was she didn't know where she was. She'd been too busy in the car trying to stop her foot bleeding to pay attention to the rout.

"No, I don't…Grissom…Gil…Listen to me. What ever you do, when you get here, do not let Nick in the house! She'll kill him…" She wanted to tell him more, but she was cut off by the door unlocking and Allyson walking in.

"What the?!" She looked furiously at Sara and the phone "Bitch!"


	6. Bitch and Rescue

All Grissom heard after 'bitch' was the sound of a slap and the line went dead.

"Line's down" He said slamming the phone down and looking at the map on the screen.

"We've narrowed it down to the Henderson area." Said Catherine pointing at the screen.

"Two of these addresses are in Henderson." Said Nick as he checked the addresses his in-laws had given him.

"Okay. Catherine, Warrick, take Greg and some uniforms to this address." Said Grissom as he handed them one of the papers. "Nick you come with me and Brass to the other. If you find anything suspicious, call us."

They all nodded and rushed to their cars.

* * *

Grissom and Nick were the first to arrive at their destination followed closely by Brass and his cops.

"Step back." Said Brass holding the warrant in his hand and pulling out his gun.

Both Grissom and Nick leaned back on the car as the police did their thing.

"LVPD open up!" Shouted Brass at the door.

The cops were about to break down the door when a little boy opened it.

"Oh…" Said Brass putting his gun down "Are your mommy and daddy home?"

The little boy took one look at the gun and ran away. He came back seconds later hiding behind a man's leg.

"Is there a problem here?" He asked picking up his son.

"We have a warrant to search the property. Would you step outside, please?" Brass motioned for him to get out and told the cops to go ahead.

It was only a matter of minutes before the search ended and Catherine called.

"Grissom." Grissom answered the phone on the first ring.

* * *

They had just pulled up to their destination and Catherine already knew they had the right place. As soon as she saw the get away car, she called Grissom.

"Gil, Get over here. We have the car." After saying this, Catherine looked blankly at the phone as it beeped. Grissom had hung up.

In a matter of minutes, all the CSI's were standing by their cars as the police got ready to enter the house.

"Nick, no matter what, you aren't going in that house." Grissom warned him as Nick placed his gun on its holster.

"Lauren needs…"

"Both of you have a better chance of surviving if you do what I tell you…"

Nick thought of protesting but he knew Grissom was right.

"LVPD! Open up!" The heard Brass shout at the door.

* * *

Allyson had heard the first cars arrive and was now waiting for Nick's arrival as she heard the sirens of ambulances and police cars outside.

"He won't come…" Said Lauren looking at her sister and the knife she was holding.

"Oh he will…" She smiled menacingly "his family is in danger."

Outside, Sara heard Brass' voice at the door and knew right behind him would be Grissom.

* * *

When no answer came, Brass gave the order for the uniforms to enter the house.

* * *

There was loud 'Bang' and all three women heard the house be invaded.

Adrenalin pumping, Allyson moved towards her sister, knife held out in front of her.

As he moved towards the door, Brass could hear crying. Holding his gun he entered the room.

By the window, Allyson was holding her sister down, a knife pointing at her stomach, a hand on her neck. When she saw the man before her, Allyson saw a flaw in her plan. It wasn't Nick. What if her sister had been right? When if Nick was smart enough to stay outside and let the police take her down?

"Where's Nick?" She asked holding the tip of the knife against Lauren's belly making a small wound.

"He's coming, Allyson. Now step away. I can get you a deal…" He tried to reason with the woman as he attempted to hide his worry.

"No one's going anywhere until _Nicky_ gets here!" She pushed harder on the knife when she mentioned the name.

Lauren winced in pain as a small patch of blood appeared on her dress.

_It's now or never_ though Sara. Allyson was distracted with Lauren and Brass. She could make a run for it. Looking at Brass, she caught his eye and he seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Allyson barely had time to react. One second Sara had been kneeling on the floor next to her, the next she was sprinting for the door. Though she managed to swing the knife, Sara didn't seem to feel the deep cut in her thigh and got away.

Rage bubbling through her system like a volcano about to erupt, Allyson screamed angrily at the ceiling and thrust the knife into Lauren's abdomen.

Lauren could think of nothing else but Nick. Where was he? She was going to die and never see him again.

* * *

Waiting in silence, all six CSI's stood outside the house. Then, all of a sudden, there came a loud, piercing scream from the house and as they turned to see what was happening, they saw a woman run out the front door. She was limping and looked like she was about to collapse. There was blood soaking her clothes at the thigh, but she was alive.

"Sara!" They all shouted as she approached.

Once she was safely in his arms again, Grissom couldn't help smiling and sighing of relief. He realized that he was holding her up and, picking her up, took her to the ambulance. Everyone followed.

"It's okay now, honey. Don't worry." Said Grissom, a hand on her back, the other on the back of her head as he waited for the paramedics to open the door.

"She…Lauren…I think she…" Sara couldn't bring herself to say it. She'd seen Lauren get stabbed out of the corner of her eye as she'd ran away. But how could she tell Nick?

Apparently, Nick needed to hear no more. The fear and desperation in her voice had been enough for him to know Lauren needed him. Placing a hand on his gun, he ran into the house before anyone could stop him. Switching into protective-husband mode, he barely registered his friend's protests.

Once he realized Nick wouldn't turn back, Grissom turned to Sara again.

"Sh…" He said brushing a hand over her arm as the paramedics took care of her.

"I'm fine Griss…" She was so worried about Nick that she could barely register the pain anymore. She tried to move away from the paramedics but both of them and Grissom held her down.

"Sara…let them check you out…" He looked her in the eyes and placed a hand on her stomach "Please…"

A few feet away, Catherine looked away to give them some privacy only to find Warrick and Greg staring at them confused.

"Guys!" She hissed to make them look away.

* * *

_He's coming_ Allyson though as she left her bleeding sister and hid behind the door holding a rusty shovel.

She didn't much care what happened to her after she got her revenge. She could get the death sentence for all she cared. After all, she had nothing to live for.

* * *

One inside, Nick held his gun in front of him searching the house until he found the room where Brass was leaning over Lauren.

He couldn't tell what had happened, but he could see the blood leaking out of Lauren's abdomen and it stung him. The sudden feeling of loss brought his guard down. Then he felt it. A strong, blunt hit to the back of his head. Then there was nothing.

Brass had seen Nick walk in and tried to warn him. But before he could make a sound, Allyson had struck the CSI on the back of the head and he was now lying unconscious on the floor.

Brass looked down at Lauren to see her look from Nick to the gun that had fallen from his hands and slid across the room to her.

With the little strength left in her, Lauren took the gun and fired a shot. She could barely see so the aim was fuzzy, but when the scream came, she knew she' hit the right place. _God bless those nights at the shooting range_ she though remembering her first dates with Nick as she felt Brass slap her to keep her awake.

* * *

Suddenly everyone went silent. The sound of a gun shot had made them all freeze and stare at the house.

It was a few seconds before they saw Brass run out screaming for paramedics. The four that weren't caring for Sara, picked up their supplies and sprinted into the house.

"What do you think happened?" Asked Greg, his eyes glued to Sara and Grissom.

"…I don't know…maybe Nick shot her…" replied Warrick as he looked at Catherine.

"Greg! Stop staring…" Catherine commanded hitting the back of Greg's head. It seemed to work as he spun around and started staring at the house instead.

Minutes later, the Paramedics rushed out with a woman on a gurney, rushed her into an ambulance and drove off. After that, came another gurney with another woman on it followed closely by Nick being held up by Brass' shoulder.

Once the second ambulance had driven off with Lauren, Nick was placed in the one where Sara was and that one too drove off with Grissom holding Sara's hand and Nick holding an ice pack to his head.

"Well…" Catherine said as she watched them drive off "…someone call Ecklie. Day shift can take care of this, I'm going to the hospital.


	7. Waiting room and Doctors

In the waiting room, Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Greg and Brass waited for news.

As soon as each ambulance had arrived, the patients had been taken inside and nothing had been said to any of them. It had been two hours.

As Greg fell into a light sleep, an important-looking doctor approached them.

"I'm Dr. Kits the cardiothoracic resident. Are you the family of Miss. Allyson Watson?" He asked looking at them

"We're acquaintances" Said Catherine as Warrick draped an arm over her shoulders.

The doctor removed his operating cap and looked at the floor "I'm sorry. We did everything we could but the injuries were too severe. The bullet severed the Aorta. There was nothing we could do." He looked at them waiting for someone to burst into tears, when nothing happened, he looked at them apologetically once more then walked back through the double doors.

A few more minutes went by before anything else happened. When they'd all settled back into their seats, they saw Nick walk out of the doors and walk towards them.

"Nick!" Greeted Catherine standing up to hug him.

"How you doing man?" Asked Nick patting him on the back.

Nick smiled faintly at them "I'll be fine…have you heard anything?"

"Allyson died in surgery…that's all we know" Said Greg looking around at everyone's worried faces.

"Excuse me…" They all turned to see a friendly looking, woman in her mid 30's "Hi, I'm Dr. Press the neonatal surgeon. Don't' worry" she added noticing Nick and Grissom's worried faces. "I've just operated on Mrs. Stokes." She said trying to identify Mr. Stokes.

"That's my wife…how is she?" Asked Nick, his heart racing.

"She'll be fine. We had to deliver the baby to repair the damage done to her…" She was cut off.

"She was only seven months pregnant…" Nick sounded desperate.

The doctor nodded "I understand your concern, but the survival rate for premature infants at 30 weeks is very high. Your son is on a ventilator and his condition is critical, but I think he'll make it through."

Nick sighed of relief. "Can I see them?"

"Your wife is still under the effect of the anaesthesia, but I can take you to your son." She said smiling broadly at him and motioning for him to follow her.

Again the team fell back into their seats. Everyone tried to read what was going through Grissom's mind not knowing anything about Sara. However, they didn't have enough time to get anything.

"Dr. Grissom?" Asked a 20 something year old man "I'm Dr. James Day, I'm the OB intern assigned to Miss. Sidle's case, she's asking for you."

With a sigh of relief, Grissom followed the man into the elevator.

"Finally!" Said Greg sitting forwards in his chair and looking at Catherine and Warrick "are you going to tell me what the hell this is all about? Sara and Grissom?!"

Catherine smiled as she saw Warrick look at her just as confused as Greg "God you men are so oblivious. They've been together for months. How could you not notice the looks, the subtle touches…"

The guys looked at each other and shrugged "Okay, so maybe that was obvious…" Said Warrick as Catherine turned to face him "…but why is Sara in Obstetrics if she has a cut thigh and a shot foot?"

Catherine rolled her eyes at him and sighed "How many times in the past few months has Sara shouted at you Then made up? How many mornings did she suddenly rush away from us looking green?" She asked thinking this would make it obvious.

"Um…I don't know…" Warrick looked at Greg wondering if he knew what the hell was going on.

"Oh for god's sake guys! Sara's pregnant; with Grissom's baby. How you two became CSI's I'll never know." She said smiling at Warrick who was looking as stunned as Greg.

"Grissom…pregnant…Sara…WHAT?!" Was all the youngest CSI could say.

"Come on Greg…get over it…" Catherine said standing up "Any one up for visiting them?

* * *

Standing in the NICU, Nick looked through the glass cover at his son. He'd never seen anything so small in his life. The undersized child was no bigger than his forearm. It's tiny chest moved up and down taking deep breaths as the tube in his throat gave him life.

No matter how sad he felt about the state his son was in, Nick couldn't help a smile creep over his face as he placed a hand on the glass case.

"Hey, Julian…" He smiled and sat down in the chair the nurse had just pulled up next to the incubator.

* * *

Sara had been waiting for Grissom for a while. The young doctor had insisted upon checking her out thoroughly before she could have any visitors. Two hours later, her cut had been stitched and her foot bandaged and she still didn't have Grissom. She had to feel sorry for the young intern as she nagged him to do as she said. Eventually, the youthful doctor had given in and gone to find Grissom.

Now, she was sitting up in her bed linked to a few monitors waiting for him to arrive.

"Come in" She said as she heard a light knock on the door.

"Hey…" He said approaching her bed and sitting on the side of it "How are you doing?"

She smiled at him "I could be doing much better…" as she said it, she grabbed his shirt and tugged on it.

Understanding what she meant, Grissom leaned over and kissed her passionately on the lips; something he'd wanted to do since she'd fallen into his arms at the house.

"Sara…" He said pulling away "Catherine, Warrick and Greg are probably on their way…"

She sighed and after another kiss, let him go. Smiling at her, he placed a hand on her stomach and asked "So…what did the doctor say?"

"Like I told you…I'm fine." She smiled placing her hand over his "Baby's alright…they did an ultrasound and insisted on hooking me up to a foetal monitor, but everything is fine." She nodded towards the machine on her right "I should be going home tomorrow…"

He smiled at her and she couldn't stop feeling warm inside at the love reflected in his eyes

"Oh…and there's something else…" She reached into the drawer of her bed-side table and pulled out an ultra sound still. "Meet your daughter…" She handed him the image.

Grissom had never felt so many emotions at once. Sara was alive; he'd saved her. He was going to have a daughter. His friends were all alright. Life couldn't have been better. Grinning, he leaned down and kissed her again. It was just a gentle, soft kiss but it was enough for both of them to understand the happiness within the other.

"Hem…" Came a forced cough from behind them and pulling away from Sara, Grissom turned to see Warrick, Greg and Catherine looking at them.

"Hey guys!" Sara beamed at them "How's it going?"

Greg was, once again, staring at Grissom and Sara as they intertwined their fingers in each others.

"What's the matter, Greggo?" Sara asked smiling up at Grissom.

"Well…" Greg looked down at the floor "You…and…I'm…You and…"

Catherine jumped in here "He's in shock about you and Grissom."

Grissom smiled at Sara and moved off the bed to the chair beside it.

"It's just…I never thought you'd…you're both so…What the hell. Congratulations!" He said smiling at them and moving forwards to shake a surprised Grissom's hand. Then, he bent down to kiss Sara on the cheek.

"Hem…Greg…hurry it up will you…" Said Grissom his tone slightly jealous, looking at Greg as he kissed Sara.

Catherine was the next to say something "I guess Greg's right, Congratulations. Took you long enough to get here, but you did." She smiled at them and sat back on the couch by the door while Warrick sat on the arm rest, his arm still around her shoulder.

"How's Nick?" Sara asked breaking the temporary silence.

"NICU." Answered Grissom "Lauren is still asleep, so he went to check on his son."

"Wow…" Warrick spoke for the first time "Nick is married…and a father…all within 24 hours…Poor guy must be freakin' out…"

They all laughed and from then on the conversation continued to be light, nothing about work, nothing about what had happened earlier.


	8. Babies and Unexpected Guests

It was only two months later that they all got to see the happy family together. Nick had called Catherine early that morning to tell her they were taking little Julian off the ventilator and that in three days they'd all be home. Lauren had been kept in the hospital for the full two months as her recovery had been slow and painful.

"Hey! Nicky…" Nick turned around to face his friends as they walked in the room. Lauren was sitting up holding Julian in her arms as Nick took pictures.

"Thanks for coming guys…" Nick smiled and snapped a shot of the whole team.

Catherine was the first to push out of the group and go examine the infant. "He's beautiful!" she exclaimed as Lauren handed the sleeping baby to her. Soon Warrick joined her side and they were both staring mesmerized at the child. Nick smiled at the scene and took a quick picture before Catherine walked over to Sara and handed her the baby.

"What…" Was all Sara could say before she was holding the little baby in her arms resting slightly on her seven month pregnant belly. This was another photo moment; Grissom and Sara holding a baby while she was pregnant was about as strange as the team could get.

After the photos, the team sat around for two hours chatting and when the nurse came to tell them it was time to leave, Nick invited them all over to dinner in three nights to celebrate Julian and Lauren's coming home.

As they walked out, Catherine couldn't help noticing how well Nick had fallen into this new role.

* * *

Two months later, Catherine found herself thinking the same thing about Grissom as she stood in the hospital room holding Megan Sidle-Grissom. It was definitely a happy day. Sara had gone into labour during shift. Though department policies said she wasn't actually supposed to be working, there was to telling her to go home. When Grissom had finally arrived at the hospital from a decomp out in the desert, Sara was already being wheeled into the delivery room. Now, three hours later, the whole team was gathered in the room. There was no doubt to Catherine or any of the team that this baby was Grissom's. Though Megan's hair was brown and her skin was only slightly darker than Sara's, her eyes were without a doubt Grissom's.

"Well…we'll be home tomorrow, and, you are all invited to dinner…" Said Grissom to his friends as he took Megan from Catherine who stepped back into Warrick's arms.

"Hey, guys…I just realized something." Said Nick as he held hi son against his shoulder "If we chose the same school, these two will be in the same year…"

They all smiled and Grissom replied "So long as your son doesn't get any fresh ideas, they can even be friends…" They all laughed and stuck around for another 15 minutes until there were only 5 minutes for visiting hours to be over. They decided to give Grissom and Sara those last five minutes alone.

Before leaving, Catherine approached Grissom and smiled, "Congratulations, Grissom. She's beautiful." With a final wink at Sara, she left.

Sitting back on the bed, Grissom smiled at Sara and kissed her lightly as she took Megan from him.

* * *

In the hallway, Catherine and Warrick sat outside the door waiting for Grissom who'd been too nervous to drive and had taken a ride from Warrick.

"Uh…Warrick…" He looked at Catherine as she stared at someone at the reception desk "that's not good…"

Warrick turned to where she was looking and uttered the same thing Catherine was thinking "Shit!"

She didn't know exactly how to feel about not being told. After all, no matter what had happened, she saw herself as his friend. Finding out about this from someone else wasn't a nice feeling. Still, Lady Heather Kessler felt she should come and congratulate Grissom.

"Is that…" Asked Warrick never taking his eyes off the approaching woman.

"Yes it is…and I'd appreciate it if you stopped gawking." Said Catherine hitting him on the chest, a hint of jealousy more than obvious in her voice.

"Ms. Willows, nice to see you again." Heather spoke in the same calm voice as always and noticed it seemed to please the tall male CSI standing behind Catherine as much as it did her clients.

"You too…" Catherine stated wondering how to ask what she was doing there.

"I take it this is Mrs. Grissom's room…" Again her tone was calm.

"Yea…just a sec…" Said Catherine as she squeezed past Heather and entered the room.

* * *

"Hem…Griss…" She said sorry to interrupt the very passionate kiss before her.

Taking his time to pull back, Grissom turned to face her "Yea?"

"Um…" She smiled and looked out the door "There's _someone_ here to see you…"

Both Grissom and Sara looked at her confused.

"A _friend_…a Lady…" Said Catherine hoping she wouldn't have to say the full name, knowing it wouldn't be nice to Sara.

Grissom seemed to have caught on but Sara continued to look oblivious.

Grissom could do nothing but stare at Catharine. This was definitely _not_ good. Sara simply looked at the side of his head "Grissom…" She waited for him to explain what Catherine was talking about. However, no explanation was needed once a very beautiful woman dressed in fine black clothes walked through the door followed by a mesmerized looking Warrick.

"A _lady_ you say…" Sara looked at Grissom trying not too appear too jealous. She wasn't in any way mad at him, there was no way he could have known she was coming. Still, Sara couldn't help wondering why on earth _she_ was the one lying on that bed; how she'd ever managed to compete with _that_.

"Heather…" Grissom's voice was only slightly higher than a whisper.

"I guess congratulations are in order…" She said extending her hand to him. He shook it quickly and let go.

Sara could tell she was incredibly perceptive. She'd never actually met her, but there was no doubt that Lady Heather could read people a mile away.

"You must be Mrs. Grissom." She said smiling at Sara.

"Actually…Actually no…we're not married. I'm Sara Sidle." Sara tried to smile friendlily.

Heather just smiled. "There's not need to feel threatened my dear." She looked Sara straight in the eyes "I just came by to offer you my congratulations, and this…" She handed Grissom a bouquet of deep red roses "…as a friend" She added smiling at Sara again before walking to the door.

Once she was gone, Grissom looked at Catherine then at Sara.

"Sara…" His voice told her she'd have to be the one to express her feelings.

Catherine felt the tension and grabbing Warrick's hand walked back out into the hall way.

"So…Lady Heather knew about this…" She was trying very hard to keep her voice normal. She wasn't mad, but it was hard to keep the jealousy away.

"Honey, I haven't talked to her in a _long_ time…" Grissom was telling the truth and Sara could see it in his eyes.

"I know you haven't…" She smiled picking Megan back up from her crib.

"Tell me what you're thinking…" He said passing a finger over Megan's face.

"What I'm thinking…is that even her gifts are sexy…" She giggled as she took the flowers from him and placed them on the bedside table.

He grinned and kissed her passionately yet softly on the lips "And yet…I chose you…if this isn't love…I don't know what is…"

That was all Sara had to hear to feel the jealousy evaporate. When he continued to look guilty, she could tell he still wasn't sure she was alright. To ease his worries, she pulled him into a not-so-gentle kiss that lasted until Megan began squirming in her arms.

"Well, I guess that's code for 'beat it daddy, I wanna eat'" said Grissom passing a hand gently over his daughter's head.

"I guess it is…see you tomorrow, Gil."

With a final kiss, Grissom walked to the door but turned before opening it "Sara…this is, by far, the best day of my life…I love you."

Sara could see, even from where she was sitting that his eyes were watery and that he meant every word "I love you too, Gil." Smiling, she watched him go then turned her attentions to the wriggling baby in her arms.

4


End file.
